Friday 20th February
You can buy individual tickets for each session from the 5th February, alternatavely you can purchase a day or full festival pass.
Screen 5
11am
Screen 5 - 11am
Stefano, a young journalist, buys a used typewriter and accidentally sees that some text is still readable on the ribbon. He manages to reconstruct the story of a scientist, Paolo Zeder, who in the 1950's discovered that some types of terrain have the power to revive the dead that are buried in them. Stefano's investigations bring him in contact with a group of renegade scientists that are still making experiments to prove Zeder's theories.
Stars Gabriele Lavia, Maurizio Costanzo, Antonio Avati
1983
Italy
Directed by Pupi Avati
1pm
Screen 5 - 1pm
As a vicious wild boar terrorizes the Australian outback, the husband of one of the victims is joined by a hunter and a farmer in a search for the beast.
Stars Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whitely, Bill Kerr
1985
Australia
Directed by Russel Mulcahy
3pm
Screen 5 - 3pm
A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal Persons in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself and premonitions.
Stars Richard Chamberlaine, David Gulpill, Vivien Grey
1977
Australia
Directed by Alberto De Martino
5pm
Screen 5 - 5pm
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning" to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.
Stars Michael Ironside, Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neil
1981
Canada
Directed by David Cronenberg
7pm
Screen 5 - 7pm
John Huston stars as an intergalactic warrior who joins a cosmic Christ figure in battle against a demonic 8-year-old girl and her pet hawk, while the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. Multi-dimensional warfare, pre-adolescent profanity, and brutal avian attacks combine to transport viewers to a state unlike anything they've experienced--somewhere between Hell and the darkest reaches of outer space.
Italy
1 Hour 48 Mins
Directed by Giulio Paradisi
9pm
Screen 5 - 9pm
A thirteen-year-old girl, who lives with her absentee father, befriends a disabled teenage amateur magician and invites him, gradually, into her tenuous struggle against a predatory local neighbor.
Stars Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith
1976
Canada
Directed by Nicholas Gessner
Screen 7
11am
Short Film Showcase 3
Screen 7 - 11am
Whilst working in the North of England, far from his Southern home, an anxious John Stevenson logs into his desktop computer every morning and evening. Isolated from his wife and son for 4 days in a cheap hotel, he feels lonely and frustrated. Through force of habit and a longing to be home, he frequents his community’s social media page, despite the hotel’s archaic technology. He slowly discovers a bizarre situation unfolding in his town.
UK
15 Mins
Directed by Sean Sears
Screen 7: 11:15am
A man wakes up in a deadly game of Rock Paper Scissors. Again. He’s been here before, won before, and honestly? He’s over it. Tired of the endless life-or-death rounds, he just wants to lose this time and call it a day. But convincing his fellow players to let him lose isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially with an unseen psychopath pulling the strings and everyone else taking the game way too seriously. Can he trick reason with them and save their lives? Or will he be stuck in this deadly game of Rock Paper Scissors Death forever?
UK
5 Mins
Directed by Dayle Saunders
Screen 7 - 11:20am
Beware the watcher in the night...
Set in the CCTV desk of a disused and dilapidated warehouse facility, a security guard scans the feeds with diligence and Schadenfreude, unaware that something is out there with it's eyes firmly set on her.
UK
10 Mins
Directed by Adrian Viviani
Screen 7 - 11:30am
A woman wakes to a creeping dread that reality is unravelling around her. As visions blur into terrifying truths, she’s pulled towards an answer that she may not be ready for.
UK
7 Mins
Directed by Jack Berry
Screen 7 - 11:37am
A girl returns home to find a strange occult ritual taking place and a zipped up suitcase, which must not be opened.
UK
3 mins
Directed by Mark Forrest
Screen 7 - 11:40
A woman’s mourning of her recently deceased sister is interrupted by visions of the past which confront her with the daunting echos of the future.
UK
6 Mins
Directed by James William Hood
Screen 7 - 11:46
This psychological horror short blends surreal imagery, moral reckoning, and supernatural dread into a haunting tale of guilt, betrayal, and the inescapable weight of consequence.
UK
7 Mins
Directed by Chaz Parvez
Screen 7 - 11:53
Three men drive into the desert at night to wrestle with an unspeakable evil.
UK
7 Mins
Directed by Joe D'Ovidio
Screen 7 - 12pm
Found footage reveals the fate of Dianne Richards; consumed by the mystery of five missing students, Dianne makes a lone journey to an abandoned building, her attempt to save both her friends and her partner are thwarted as she is unknowingly ensnared by an enigmatic cult with a dark secret.
UK
8 Mins
Directed by Jack Abernethy
Screen 7 - 12:08pm
When Amy and her boyfriend have a nice dinner in a restaurant where they first met, it turns out there's some pressure on their relationship.
Netherlands
8 Mins
Directed by Bastiaan Rook
Screen 7 - 12:16pm
In a quiet, remote home, a mother and daughter’s fragile bond is tested as an ancient force of vengeance emerges from the shadows. Silent Screams reimagines the Fury, a mythological figure from Greek lore, as a terrifying embodiment of guilt and fear. Blind yet relentlessly attuned to its victims, the Fury hunts by the scent of guilt and the sound of trembling conscience, forcing those who encounter it to confront their darkest truths.
United States
9 Mins
Directed by Gregory Scotiniadis
Screen 7 - 12:25pm
When self-professed criminal psychologist; Rick Roberts, sends a mystery package to true crime podcast host; Sofia, he unwittingly may solve one of San Francisco’s most infamous cold cases
UK
9 Mins
Directed by Samantha Oci
1:30pm
Screen 7 - 1:30pm
Gerald is a raw meat eating socially inept guy who wants nothing more than to make friends but when he follows the steps of an 80's self help video things take a bloodcurdling turn.
Australia
16 mins
Directed by Amanda Kaye
Screen 7 - 1:46pm
In the squalid basement of a suburban home, unemployed filmmaker Max Wren (Nicholas Jaquinot) spends his days and nights hunting for footage of the controversial online performance artist Lenore (Ruby Duncan)—piecing together a distorted tribute to her in the wake of her sudden disappearance.
But before he can complete his magnum opus, Max must face a domineering antagoniser from his past, two nosy police officers tipped off about his antisocial behaviour, and most concerning of all: a violent and vengeful spirit that seems to live within his grotesque editing Suite.
Australia
1 hour 28 minutes
Directed by David Ward
3:30pm
Screen 7 - 3:30pm
The tragedies of life: not getting what you want and, even worse, getting it. They vividly summarize TANTALUS’ life: ruled by hybris, no satisfaction. In this retelling of the Myth, he’s the owner of a club, the Delirio Cremisi. There, he gathers a carnival of evil-grotesque figures (politicians, businessmen, goons) in order to celebrate THE PRESIDENT’s election victory.
Italy
20 mins
Directed by Leopoldo Medugno
Screen 7 - 3:50pm
23-year-old virgin Tatsuki falls for Erica (20), a waitress at a cafe he happens to walk into one day. But Erika was suffering from domestic violence at the hands of her boyfriend, Ryo. Tatsuki tries to rescue Erika from Ryo. However, the relationships between them become entangled with the presence of Tatsuki's sister, Yuka; a coworker at his part-time job, Mutsumi; and Ryo's older brother, Toru. Their fates begin to spiral out of control. The shocking suspense begins here.
Japan
1 Hour 22 mins
Directed by Taro Miyaoka
5:30pm
Screen 7 - 5:30pm
Two lonely souls meet in an old memory. Through their dreams, their suffering and their flesh, they try to escape from the sadness and loneliness of their lives.
France
24 mins
Directed by Benjamin Faure
Screen 7 - 5:55pm
A family of cannibals, who eat the evil to extend their lives, faces a series of crises one fateful day. The wily patriarch, Howdy, watches his daughters growing out of his grasp as an ancient enemy returns to town; his daughter, April, must decide between her family and her newfound love; and his other daughter, December, embarks on a roaring rampage of revenge.
United States
1 Hour 24 mins
Directed by Travis Youngquist
8pm
World premiere
10pm
Screen 8
11am
Screen 8 - 11am
The beautiful Dawn is gathering medicinal herbs in the forest. A Woodcutter in love with her appears, offering her his hand and his heart. But the girl only laughs at him and this wounds Woodcutter deeply. In the evening of the same day Dawn is attacked by Servants of a mysterious Beast, who kidnaps the girl. Dawn manages to cut loose her shadow and sent it to find help. Dawn’s Shadow follows the bird who stole Dawn’s knife. This leads her to a Witch living in the forest.
Estonia
15 mins
Directed by Olga Stalev
Screen 8 - 11:15am
This is a story of a family, that is trying to hide from the chaos that is dragging the whole world into the black whirlpool of the apocalypse. But the barricades in the corridor and hazmat suits won't help. Absurdity and nightmares penetrate their haven through disturbing dreams full of lust, death and fear. They did not notice how they crossed the line of normality and have long been inside the deadliest spider on earth. The Devil, Stalin, Bill Gates, Madonna, the Russian Soldier and the Coffin Man are already on the threshold of their gloomy home.
Russian Federation/Isreal
1 hour 12 mins
Directed by Arseniy Gonchukov
1pm
Screen 8 - 1:15pm
A grieving son buys an old phone from an antique shop in order to talk to his dead mother.
United Kingdom
15 mins
Directed by Adrian León
Screen 8 - 1:15pm
Adrian and Duru get lost in the characters they play in an apocalyptic film and embark on a secret mission to end the world for real. What follows goes beyond their wildest imagination.
Second entry in Adrian Țofei and Duru Yücel's spiritual trilogy which includes "Be My Cat: A Film for Anne" and "Pure".
Note: We Put the World to Sleep can be watched and understood as a standalone by audiences who haven't seen Be My Cat, because it's not a direct sequel, the connections are loose.
Romania/Turkey
1 hour 23 mins
Directed by Adrian Țofei
4pm
Screen 8 - 4pm
In this spine-chilling horror film, a young girl, Sophia, faces the dilemma of choosing whom to trust when an imposter infiltrates her home.
United Kingdom
26 mins
Directed by James Rigby
Screen 8 - 4:26pm
Assigned to a missing person case, reporter Trish Bostwick follows the trail to a secluded asylum hidden in the New England woods. But everything changes when a knife-wielding stranger hijacks her car, plunging her into a descent of paranoia and madness. "Where Darkness Dwells" is a psychological thriller that thrusts viewers into the shadowy heart of New England lore, where Lovecraft meets Folk Horror in terrifying ways. Starring Katie Parker (Fall Of the House Of Usher, The Haunting of Hill House, The Beldham), and Tara Perry (12 Hour Shift, The Fresh Beat Band).
United States
1 Hour 33 mins
Directed by Michael May
7pm
Short Film Showcase 4
screen 8 - 7pm
Barney needs a tooth out. His regular dentist is not in the office, but that's OK -- Dr Carroway and her assistant Penny will take care of him today ... He really should have rescheduled. This is not going to go well, especially after the power goes out.
United States
20 mins
Directed by James Gleason
Screen 8 - 7:20pm
Banished to the “suicide shift” for breaking spirit call centre regulations, CARMILLA FERRY, now deals with the most tortured of souls moving from this world to the next. After being blasted by her line manager on the phone, Russell, Carmilla is feeling even more isolated and demoralised than usual. After a series of heart-crushing calls, culminating in a particularly stressful shift, Carmilla is then faced with the most heart-wrenching call of all.
United Kingdon
13 mins
Directed by Paul Laight
Screen 8 - 7:24pm
Its Halloween Night and Clint is on the hunt for more candy. Little does he know he's not the the only one looking for something to eat, he's not the only one with a SWEET TOOTH.
UK
8 Mins
Directed by MJ Dixon
Screen 8 - 7:32
Jack escapes his troubles and travels to Ireland to photograph the ancient landscape of The Burren. But then a ghostly image starts appearing in his photos, of a boy who drowned sixty years ago. Jack must now face the demons that haunt him, as well as whatever is lurking in the mysterious lake.
Ireland
28 mins
Directed by Charlie Woodward
Screen 8 - 8pm
A strange young woman struggling with distressing visions visits a psychiatrist in an attempt to reconcile with her past.
UK
8 Mins
Directed by Brocco Rogers
Screen 8 - 8:08pm
Dolly is a porcelain-like doll longing for companionship. She brings a male doll to life through her obsessive rituals, but when he refuses to reciprocate her affection, he violently shatters her form and escapes. Heartbroken and desperate, she pursues the now-living man into the real world, where she attempts to reclaim him.
UK
10 Mins
Directed by Dimitris Vrouvas
Screen 8 - 8:18pm
A live stream seance turns into a real-life nightmare when Jenna accidentally invites a malicious entity into her home.
United Kingdon
10 Mins
Directed by Emma Sinclair, Sean Langdon
Screen 8 - 8:28pm
Even with a serial killer on her heels, Flora knows how to seize an opportunity.
Canada
3 mins
Directed by Alexandre Mullen
Screen 8 - 8:31pm
When a child is left in an empty house, her new companion is not the friend he seems.
United Kingdom
4 mins
Directed by Owen Coomber
Screen 8 - 8:35pm
Staff at an office crèche fight to protect their children during a zombie outbreak.
United Kingdom
3 Mins
Directed by Frank O'Neil
9:30pm
Screen 8 - 9:30pm
A couple move to the countryside looking for a new beginning. But a mysterious mirror turns everything inside out. A young care worker agrees to care for a dying man, only to stumble unto secrets that refuse to stay hidden. A musician struggling with writer's block is haunted by his own muse and a psychologist starts losing her grip on reality following a harrowing accident.
Denmark
1 hour 57 mins
Directed by Anders Jon, Michael Kunov, Kasper Juhl, Michael Panduro